Disc grinder for card flats



Sept. l5, 1970 H. M. ROBERTS 3,528,205

DISC GRINDER FOR CARD FLATS Filed Nov. 2'?, 1968 2 sneetsheet 1 w .glug :il-'

ZO ENTOR:

HARRY M ROBERTS ATTORNEYS INVENTOR.'

ATTORNEYS 2 Sheets-Sheet f3 HARRY M Eo Bla-211% Sept. 15, 1970 H. M. ROBERTS DISC GRINDER FOR CARD FLATS Filed Nov. 2v, 196s United States Patent O 3,528,205 DISC GRINDER FOR CARD FLATS Harry M. Roberts, 605 Clyde St., Gastonia, N.C. 27832 Filed Nov. 27, 1968, Ser. No. 779,443 Int. Cl. B24b 19/00 U.S. Cl. 51-243 7 Claims ABSTRACT F THE DISCLOSURE Grinding apparatus comprising an elongate cylindrical roll means and a plurality of planar, circular, disc members mounted in longitudinally spaced apart relation along the roll means and each having an annular flexible portion extending radially outwardly of the roll means and abrasive material on the opposing side faces of the flexible portion, so that the side faces of the disc members, when at least slightly flexed and moved relative to card wire clothing of the ats of a textile card, are wiped across the clothing of the flats to grind and sharpen the same.

Manufacturers of textile cards have long pointed out that the card wire clothing thereof will produce inferior work as it becomes dulled, regardless of the fact that the card may be in otherwise excellent condition and be very accurately set. As a result, users of textile cards have been advised to grind the card wire clothing at relatively frequent intervals. In a revolving flat card, wherein textile ber is worked by being passed between relatively moving card wire surfaces on a main cylinder and on a plurality of elongate flats, even the recommended light grinding at frequent intervals requires relatively lengthy interruptions in the carding operation, and thus interferes with obtaining maximum production efficiency.

More particularly, the grinding of card wire clothing on the flats of a revolving flat card has involved the use of a grinding apparatus known in the trade as a long grinder. As heretofore used, a long grinder is an elongate steel cylinder about which abrasive coated paper known as emery filleting is wrapped, so that the exposed cylindrical surface of the roll is covered by abrasive material for a length at least equal to the longitudinal extent of the card wire clothing mounted on the flats. In use, the long grinder is mounted adjacent the path of movement of the traveling flats and is driven in rotation from a rotating member of the card while being traversed from side to side.

In grinding the flats of a revolving flat card using a long grinder of the type described above, from ve to seven hours is normally required to bring the card wire clothing to proper condition. During this grinding period, it is necessary that the carding of textile ber be interrupted, in order that the card may be clear of liber during grinding. Further, the card must be cleaned after grinding in order to assure that any flakes of emery are removed prior to the introduction of textile fiber thereto.

With the foregoing in mind, it is an object of the present invention to provide a grinding apparatus particularly adapted for use in sharpening the card wire clothing of the flats of a revolving flat textile card, which apparatus is so constructed as to permit a substantial and significant reduction in the time required to complete the grinding operation, thereby significantly improving the overall Aproductivity of the textile card. In realizing this object of the present invention, a plurality of planar, circular, disc members are mounted in longitudinally spaced apart relation along an elongate cylindrical roll means. Each of the disc members has an annular flexible portion extending radially outwardly of the roll means and abrasive material on the longitudinally exposed side faces of the flexible portion. When in use in grinding the card wire 3,528,205 Patented Sept. 15., 1970 ice clothing of the flats, the grinding apparatus is mounted closely adjacent the path of movement of the elongate ats and at such a distance therefrom that the disc members are at least slightly flexed and the abrasive material on the longitudinally exposed side faces thereof is brought into engagement with the card wire clothing. Thus, upon relative movement between the disc members and the card wire clothing of the flats, the side faces of the ilexible portions of the disc members are wiped across the clothing of the ilats and the clothing is sharpened.

A more specific object of the present invention is to provide grinding apparatus including a plurality of planar, circular, disc members of thin flexible sheet material having abrasive material bonded to the side faces thereof and a plurality of spacer ring members mounted in alternating stacked relation with the disc members so that each of the disc members is spaced from adjacent disc members and has an annular flexible portion projecting radially outwardly beyond the spacer ring members. By so arranging the abrasive bearing disc members, flexure of the members during grinding of card flats exposes the abrasive bearing longitudinal side faces thereof for wiping engagement with the card wire clothing.

Some of the objects and advantages of the invention having been stated, others will appear as the description proceeds, when taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which- FIG. 1 is a perspective view of portions of a textile card, showing the grinding apparatus of the present invention mounted thereon for sharpening the card wire cloth- 4ing of the ilats of the card;

FIG. 2 is a longitudinal sectional view through portions of the grinding apparatus shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is an elevation view, in partial section, through the grinding apparatus of FIG. 2 illustrating the cooperation between that grinding apparatus and the card wire clothing of the flats of the textile card of FIG. l;

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of one of the disc members of the grinding apparatus, partly exploded to show the construction of the disc member;

FIG. 5 is an enlarged elevation view taken at right angles to the view of FIG. 3 and showing the engagement of three disc members with the clothing of a at; and

FIG. '6 is an enlarged elevation view, partly in phantom, showing a traverse motion for the grinding apparatus.

Referring now more particularly to the drawings, the grinding apparatus of the present invention is there shown, as generally indicated by the reference character 10, in combination with a textile card of the revolving flat type, generally indicated by the reference character 20. As is conventional, the card 20 includes a main cylinder 21, operatively connected with a suitable motive means (not shown) to be driven in rotation and covered with suitable card wire clothing. The card 20 also includes a plurality of elongate iiats 22, operatively connected together somewhat in endless chair fashion and mounted for movement about a predetermined closed path of travel for cooperation with the clothed surface of the main cylinder 21 in the textile fiber working process known as carding.

Each of the flats 22 is an elongate member having a predetermined relatively narrow width and a length at least equal to the length of the main cylinder 21. An elongate area of each flat has mounted thereon card wire clothing 22a such as that known to the trade as knee wire (as best seen in FIGS. 3 and 5), for cooperating with the card wire clothing on the main cylinder 21 in the working of textile fiber therebetween.

In a typical revolving dat textile card, the main cylinder 21 may have a diameter of approximately 50 inches and a length of either 40 or 45 inches. In such a card, one hundred ten flats are provided with each flat being approximately one and three-eighths inch wide and having a length corresponding to the length of the associated main cylinder. At any given time, forty-four of the one hundred ten flats are positioned for cooperation with the main cylinder, with the remainder of the flats being disposed along other portions of the predetermined path of travel about which the fiats are guided.

In accomplishing the grinding of the card wire clothing of the flats 22, to sharpen the same and maintain proper working of textile fiber by the card 20, the apparatus of this invention includes an elongate cylindrical roll means defined in part by a tubular metal member 11. Mounted in opposite ends of the tubular metal member 11 are a pair of hub members 12a and 12b, respectively supporting a pair of stub shaft portions 13a and 13b in alignment of the central axis of the tubular member 11. The stub shaft portions 13a and 13b project longitudinally from the grinding apparatus 10, to provide support for the apparatus in operative association with the fiats 22 of the card 20 and an axis for rotation of the roll means as described hereinafter.

IMounted along the tubular member 11 are a plurality of planar, circular, disc members 14 and a plurality of spacer ring members 15. The disc members 14 and spacer members 15 alternate along the length of the elongate cylindrical roll means and are retained in position therealong by opposing end locking rings 16a and 1Gb, threadinigly engaged With respective ones of the hubs 12a and 12b.

IEach of the disc members 14 is formed of a relatively thin, flexible sheet material, preferably by severing from a web of textile fabric a pair of annular elements 14a and 14h (FIG. 4). One side face of each of the annular elements 14a and 14h has abrasive material secured thereto, and the two elements are joined to form the disc member 14 by adhering together the abrasive free side faces thereof with a resilient, flexible, cement such as rubber cement. The choices of textile fabric yas the supporting substrate for the abrasive material and a flexible cement for adhering the fabric layers together have been made in order to assure that the desired fiexibility of the disc members 1,4 is attained. The annular form of the disc members is such that the inside diameter thereof is sized to loosely fit ontothe tubular member 11 of the roll means, so that assembly of the disc members 14 therewith is facilitated. The layers of abrasive material on the opposing side faces of the disc members 14 preferably `are of 36 grit emery bonded in place with a resin adhesive.

'Ihe spacer ring members 15 have an inner diameter generally the same as the disc members, for loosely fitting onto the tubular member 11, and an outer diameter less than that of said disc members. Preferably, the spacer ring members 15 are formed of a material which is relatively incompressible, for reasons to be pointed out more fully hereinafter, and have a longitudinal dimension of approximately one-half inch. Thus, by the alternating stacking of disc members 14 and spacer ring members 15, the longitudinally directed side faces of the disc members 14 are spaced apart by approximately one-half inch.

In assembling a grinding apparatus 10v in accordance with the present invention, one of the threaded locking rings 16u and 16b is positioned in place on the correspending hub member and spacer ring members 15 and disc members 14 are then stacked onto the roll means. When a sufficient number of disc members have been stacked on the roll means to provide a longitudinal extent substantially the same as the length of the elongate fiats to be ground thereby, such as 40 or 45 inches, the other of the locking rings 16a and 16h is threaded onto the corresponding hub member to engage the spacer ring members and clamp the members stacked along the roll means into assembled relation.

As so assembled, the planar, circular, disc members 14 each have an annular fiexible portion projecting radially outwardly beyond the spacer ring members 15, and are spaced one from the other so that the longitudinally directed side faces thereof may be exposed by tlexure of the disc members (FIG. 2). Upon flexure or bending of the annular fiexible portions of the disc members 14 (FIG. 5), the abrasive bearing side faces thereof are brought into wiping engagement with card wire clothing for grinding of the flats 22.

In grinding the flats 22 of the card 20', the grinding apparatus 10 is mounted adjacent the predetermined path of travel along which the flats 22 move, by engagement of bearings 24 housing the stub shaft portions 13a and 13b with appropriate roll stands or suppolts 25, A driving connection is then established between one of the shaft portions 13a and 13b and motive means for driving the grinding apparatus 10 in rotation about the central axis of the roll means, preferably by positioning a driving belt 26 to operatively interconnect the main cylinder 21 and a driven pulley 17 mounted upon one of the stub shaft portions 13a and 13b. At the same time, the roll means and the members mounted thereon are traversed back and forth along the axis defined by the stub shaft portions 13a. and 13b, through the operation of a traverse motion 18 having a worm 27 operatively connected with one of the stub shaft portions 13a and 13b and cooperating with an eccentric drive gear 28 and link 29 to convert the rotary motion of the shaft into a short stroke reciprocating translatory motion, displacing the grinding apparatus 10 from side to side relative to the fiats 22 being ground thereby. Preferably, the stroke applied to the grinding apparatus 10' is relatively short in comparison to the length of the roll means, as by being approximately one inch to one and one-half inches where the length of the roll means is forty or forty-five inches. In any instance, the length of the traversing stroke (as indicated in FIGS. 2, 5 and 6) is such as to result in flexure of the disc members 14.

The roll stands and bearings 25 and 24 on which the grinding apparatus 101 is supported are adjacent to position the apparatus with the central axis thereof parallel to an in predetermined spaced relation `with the surface of the card wire clothing on the ats 22 to be ground. As will be observed from FIG. 3 of the drawings, the critical spacing between the central axis of the grinding apparatus 10 and the card Wire clothing may be established only with regard to one particular position of a flat 22 along the path of travel about which the group` of flats are guided. However, inasmuch as the fiats move at a speed of approximately two or three inches per minute, in a conventional revolving flat card as described herein, all of the flats incorporated in the card 20 are ground by passage adjacent the grinding location. The spaced relation of the central axis of the grinding apparatus 10 to the card wire clothing surface vbeing ground is such that the disc members 14 are at least slightly flexed and the abrasive material on the longitudinally exposed side faces thereof is in engagement with the clothing (FIG. 5). Thus, upon rotation and translation of the grinding apparatus 10, the side faces of the flexible portions of the disc members 14 are wiped across the clothing of the fiats to sharpen the same.

In utilizing card flat grinders constructed in accordance with the present invention, it has been discovered that several advantages are obtained. In particular, manufacturers of conventional long grinders wound With emery filleting have advised that proper grinding cannot usually be obtained after approximately sixty hours of grinding time. In actual practice, this has meant that the average life of the emery filleting covering of a `conventional long grinder is approximately ten to fifteen days. By way of contrast, the rate of wear which has thus far been experienced for the abrasive coated surfaces of disc members in a grinding apparatus in accordance with the present invention indicates that an anticipated life may be on the order of three years. Further, it has been discovered that satisfactory grinding of the card wire clothing on the flats is obtained with significantly fewer number of passes of the flats adjacent the grinding apparatus 10. Thus, a major reduction in the time required to perform the grinding operation has been obtained. Finally, the flaking or loss of emery material from the side faces of the disc members 14 is markedly reduced from that experienced with conventional emery fllleting. As result of this occurrence, it has become possible to grind the flats of a revolving flat card without interruptinng the production thereof and clearing the card of textile fiber. It is believed that the significant improvement in overall productivity of a revolving flat card flowing from these attributes of the grinding apparatus of the present invention may be readily appreciated.

In the drawings and specification, there has been set forth a preferred embodiment of the invention, and although specific terms are employed, they are used in a generic and descriptive sense only and not for purposes of limitation, the scope of the invention being defined in the claims.

What is claimed is:

1. Grinding apparatus particularly adapted for use in sharpening the card wire clothing of the flats of a textile card and comprising:

an elongate cylindrical roll means including longitudinally projecting shaft portions aligned with the central axis of said roll means, and

a plurality of planar, circular, disc members mounted in longitudinally spaced apart relation along said roll means, each of said disc members having an annular flexible portion extending radially outwardly of said roll means and abrasive material secured on opposing side faces of said flexible portion,

said roll means being adapted to be mounted closely adjacent the path of movement of the elongate flats of a card with the central axis of said roll means disposed parallel to the clothing of the flats and at such a distance therefrom that said disc members are at least slightly flexed and said abrasive material is iu engagement with the clothing so that rotation and translation of said roll means and said disc members mounted thereon relative to the flats being ground causes said side faces of said flexible portions of said disc members to be wiped across the clothing of the flats to sharpen the same.

2. Apparatus according to claim 1 and further comprising a plurality of spacer ring members loosely encircling said roll means and interposed between said disc members for spacing the same at predetermined intervals along said roll means and retaining means secured to said roll means for restraining said spacer ring members and portions of said disc members held therebetween against movement longitudinally of said roll means.

3. Grinding apparatus particularly adapted for use in sharpening the card wire clothing of the flats of a textile card and comprising:

an elongate cylindrical roll means including a cylindrical member and longitudinally projecting shaft portions mounted in said cylindrical member in alignment with the central axis thereof,

a plurality of planar, circular, disc members of thin flexible sheet material having abrasive material secured on opposing side faces thereof and a central opening of an inner diameter such that said disc members loosely fit onto said cylindrical member,

a plurality of spacer ring members having an inner diameter generally the same as that of said disc members for loosely fitting onto said cylindrical member and an outer diameter less than the outer diameter of said disc members, and

means securing said disc and spacer ring members in alternating relation stacked longitudinally along said roll means With each of said disc members having an annular flexible portion projecting radially outwardly beyond said spacer ring members so that flexure thereof during grinding of card flats exposes the abrasive bearing side faces of said disc members for wiping engagement with card wire clothing.

4. Grinding apparatus according to claim 3 wherein said sheet material of said disc members is a textile web material and further wherein said abrasive material is in grit form and is bonded to said textile web material.

5. Grinding apparatus according to claim 3 wherein each of said disc members comprises a pair of annular elements of textile fabric each having grit form abrasive material bonded to one side face thereof and a flexible cement material bonding together the abrasive-free side faces of said pair of elements.

6. The combination, with a textile card having a plurality of elongate flats clothed with card wire and supported and driven in movement along a predetermined path for cooperation with a main cylinder in working textile fibers therebetween, of apparatus for grinding the clothing of the flats and comprising:

an elongate cylindrical roll means including longitudinally projecting shaft portions aligned with the central axis of said roll means,

a plurality of planar, circular, disc members mounted in longitudinally spaced apart relation along said roll means, each of said disc members having an annular flexible portion extending radially outwardly of said roll means and abrasive material secured on opposing side faces of said flexible portion,

means supporting said roll means closely adjacent the path of movement of said elongate flats with the central axis of said roll means disposed parallel to the clothing of the flats and at such a distance therefrom that said disc members are in engagement with the clothing and are at least slightly flexed by such engagement, and

drive means for rotating and traversing said roll means and said disc members mounted thereon relative to the flats being ground, so that said side faces of said flexible portions of said disc members are wiped across the clothing of the flats to sharpen the same.

7. The combination according to claim 6 wherein the spacing of said disc members along said roll means is such that the effective length of the grinding apparatus is substantially the same as the clothed length of said flats so that substantially the entire length of a flat is ground on movement of said disc members relative thereto.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 88,635 4/1869 Ingram 51--242 1,886,089 11/ 1932 Dronslield 5 l--242 2,849,844 9/ 1958 Snape 51-242 WILLIAM R. ARMSTRONG, Primary Examiner 

